From The Wine Enthusiast
Viña Sastre 2006 Pesus (Ribera del Duero); $750.
If there’s any such thing as the perfect Spanish red, Pesus is it. A blend of 80% Tempranillo with other grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine sees 200% new oak, resulting in a thick, dark, tannic beauty that bubbles over with toast, cola, mint, chocolate and spice aromas. The mouth is sheer heaven; a mile deep in terms of berry flavor and more, but faultless and smooth. Shows outstanding structure and power, and should age well for 15-20 years. Hails from two 100-year-old vineyards and some baby vines with but 25 years of age. Crazy expensive but only 150 cases were made; drink 2013-2030. Score: 100 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Viña Sastre 2005 Regina Vides (Ribera del Duero); $195.
From vines that are between 80 and 100 years, this is a marvelous example of top-notch Spanish red wine, regardless of region and grape variety. Hails from four vineyards, and the product is dark, concentrated, sultry, masculine and impressive. Giant black fruit flavors, texture, richness, coffee and cola make it truly special. Drinkable now; best in 3-5 more years. Score: 98 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Viña Sastre 1999 Pago de Santa Cruz Gran Reserva (Ribera del Duero); $119.
A classic wine with maturity but still a lot to give. Aged 24 months in American oak then 12 more months in French barrels, this GR is leathery and powerful, with firm tannins
supporting dry berry fruit flavors accented by copious amounts of tobacco, mint, vanilla and more. Will continue to age and soften; drink now through 2025. Score: 96 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Viña Sastre 2006 Pago de Santa Cruz Tempranillo (Ribera del Duero); $84.
A unique style of old-vines, singlevineyard Ribera aged 100% in new American oak, thus it delivers telltale aromas of fennel, dill, vanilla and licorice/anisette. Aged 18 months in barrel so it’s oaky, but it’s also dark, loaded with black fruit and spice, and chocolaty. Nuances include cola and the perfect raisin. A lovely wine that hits the spot. Best 2012-2020. Score: 94 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Viña Sastre 2007 Crianza Tempranillo (Ribera del Duero); $33.
Kicks off with a blend of herbs, wild flowers, lavender and toasty oak. It’s a fresh, clean, semi-rich RDD with beautiful berry fruit, chocolate and a slight bit of char. An exciting wine with delicious core flavors and no toughness, hard tannins or heat. A bit dark and bitter on the finish, like a good espresso. Drink now-2014. Score: 91 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Viña Sastre 2008 Roble Tempranillo (Ribera del Duero); $20.
Opens with young, punchy aromas of candied raspberry and strawberry. The body is easygoing but the flavors and overall character are more complex than you might expect because Sastre only made this wine and a crianza in ’08 while eschewing its high-end wines. With this youngster expect moderate size and intensity, and a full, semi-long finish. Score: 88 points. -M.S. (Wine Enthusiast 2010 Advanced Buying Guide, Oct 2010)
Garciarevalo
91 Points
Garciarevalo
2006 Tres Olmos Verdejo
Rueda
$17
Tres Olmos is that rare wine that smells great, tastes just right, and lingers for a long time on your palate. Almond, pear and citrus aromas smartly give way to a wave of blended citrus fruits, and the finish is long and confident.
Joan D'Anguera
92 Points
2000 Joan D'Anguera El Bugader
Montsant
$50
Here's an excellent wine from a high-flying subsection of Tarragona. It's rich, inky and thick, but impeccably balanced. Pulsating dark-berry fruit carries the nose and palate, while chocolate comes on late. Polished and intense, with all elements squarely in place. -M.S. (March 2004)
90 Points
2000 Joan D'Anguera Finca L'Argata
Montsant
$21
Editors' Choice
Full-force blackberry, cherry, and licorice create a lovely bouquet, which is followed nicely by cherry, plum and additional berry flavors. The finish is broad, meaty and firm, with fine tannins. -M.S. (March 2004)
87 Points
2002 Joan D'Anguera La Planella
Montsant
$19
Saturated and dense, but youthful as well as a few shades shy of refined. There's herbal essence to the flavor profile, but there's also bold and tasty cassis and black plum. The finish is chewy and a bit spicey, and overall you'd have to label it rich and full. -M.S. (March 2004)
93 Points
1999 Joan D'Anguera El Bugader
Shiraz, Tarragona
$50
A Cellar Selection
"Mr. Syrah" is what the late father Josep D'Anguera was called. This Syrah blend justifies that name. Josep started planting the grape back in 1977 and it is doing very well in Tarragona, giving us a wine that is bluish-black in color with a jammy blackberry nose and wisps of frying bacon. Rich tannins beautifully balance the intense fruit and tangy acids. Drink in 2-10 years. Cellar Selection. -C.S. - C.S. (4/1/02)
90 Points
1999 Joan D'Anguera Finca L'Argata
Red Blend, Tarragona
$21
This deep purple opaque, wine possesses dried sage and milk chocolate with an underlying dustiness on the nose. The tannins are full but will integrate with time. An enjoyable, rich chewy wine to be consumed in 1-3 years. -C.S. - C.S. (4/1/02)
88 Points
2000 Joan D'Anguera la Planella
Red Blend, Tarragona
$19
La Planella is blended exclusively for the US market. Extended maceration adds to the bright purple color and complexity of this wine, which has rich blackberry fruit and soft tannins. -C.S. (4/1/02)
88 Points
1998 Joan D'Anguera Vi Dolç
Red Blend, Tarragona
$70
A Banyuls-style dessert wine made from Garnacha. Molasses and dried fruits start the nose off, jumping into flavors of caramel and toffee. The wine is sweet but not cloying, meaning it has grit for a dessert wine. Perfect at the end of a meal. Can be drunk now or will age for a number of years. -C.S. (4/1/02)
Luberri
88 Points
2005 Seis de Luberri
Rioja
$14
A heavier, more elevated style, but still well-priced relative to the competition. Expect lusty toast and berry sromas along with a round but juicy palate that delivers chewy berry and plum flavors and some "grasa," which means fat in Spanish. A cut above most wines in this price range. -M.S. (September 2007)
Ostatu
95 Points
2003 Gloria de Ostatu
Rioja
$75
Full and ready, this fabulous wine from Rioja Alavesa sets the bar very high for any of its Vanguardia co-runners. Gloria hits hard with bacon, tire rubber, tobacco and pstry crust aromas, but also pure dark fruit. Then it's wave after wave of boysenberry and crisp brown sugar flavors prior to a finale of heady European chocolate. Need we say more? 750 cases produced; best now through 2011. - M.S. (September 2007)
88 Points
2004 Crianza
Rioja
$19
Fans of big, blocky reds that offer pucnh, extract and tannins should jump on this now, and then watch it age nicely for the next four or five years. That's the type of meaty, tannic, fruit-infused Tempranillo this is, It's always going to be short and stocky, but still it will round into shape as it matures. - M.S. (September 2007)
86 Points
2005 Blanco
Rioja
$11
This is an easy, sweeter style of Viura grape that emits aromas of peaches and pears. The palate is lively enough but not exactly zesty, and the flavors run toward pink grapefruit and other citrus fruits; but think sweet, nice fruits - not sour ones. Has all the hallmarks of a good apertif wine. - M.S. (September 2007)
Pucho
86 Points
2002 Pucho
Bierzo
$13
Made from the Mencía grape, this purple-power joven is fresh, fruit-packed and interesting. Aromas of rose hips and blackberry lead into a palate that is largely sweet and rich. You get candied rasberry and cherry, but it's not artifical in any way. Finished clean and nice, with a hint of vanilla. -M.S. (March 2004)
Viña Sastre
90 Points
2005 Viña Sastre Roble
Ribera del Duero
$19
Sastre does not make mass-market, inexpensive wines; this is hte base-level offering. And it's a delicious, moderately complex Ribera that is fat and fruity but also exotic and a touch beguiling. It will make an excellent accompaniment to basic grilled meats; drink now or though 2008. 1,600 cases prodiced. -M.S. (6/1/2007)
95 Points
1999 Regina Vides
Ribera del Duero
$175
Cellar Selection
Wow. Made from a small parcel of 80-plus-year-old Tempranillo vines, the resulting wine is packed with dense, smoky aromas wrapped around a core of brandied fruitcake. Huge, mouthfilling flavors of blackberries and roasted meat develop in the glass, all framed by wonderfully supple tannins. (April 2003)
94 Points
1999 Viña Sastre Pesus
Ribera del Duero
$375
Old-vine Tempranillo is cut by about 15% younger-vine Cabernet and Merlot in this rich, chewy red. It's smokier and more herbal than its all-Tempranillo stablemate, the Regina Vides, yet still boasts enormous blackberry and black cherry fruit cushioned by plush tannins. (April 2003)
93 Points
1998 Regina Vides
Ribera del Duero
$175
A bit toastier and more floral than the bruising 1999, but stilla rich, silky wine. Roasted meats, blackberry and tobacco give true Tempranillo flavor, finishing with hints of licorice. Like the other wines from Sastre, the tannins are plentiful but wonderfully ripe and supple. (April 2003)
92 Points
1999 Viña Sastre Pago de Santa Cruz
Ribera del Duero
$85
A single-vineyard wine made from the fruit of 65-year-old Tempranillo vines, it spends 18 months in new French oak, yet because of the fruit concentration the wood doesn't seem overdone. Starts off with hints of clove and coffee, then develops blackberry and black cherry fruit wrapped in a cocoon of dried spices. (April 2003)
89 Points
1999 Viña Sastre Crianza
Ribera del Duero
$25
Toasty, with cinnamon and dried spice aromas. Blackberry and plum fruit comes through on the palate, accented by coffee and big tannins. This wine will hold up well for a few years. - C.S. (11/01/02)
88 Points
2000 Viña Sastre Roble
Ribera del Duero
$14
Best Buy
Extended maceration helps make this wine rich, plump and juicy with aromas of bacon, cedar and blackberry. Tannins are soft and the acidity crisp, with coffee and plum flavors. A good drinking red for the money. - CS (11/01/02)
86 Points
1995 Vina Sastre 1995 Reserva
Ribera del Duero
$55
Has complex nutty aromas of roasted cashews; also blends in some caramel and toast. Smoky vanilla-soaked nuts counter tart lemony acidity in the mouth. Seems to be losing fruit, but doing so slowly and gracefully. - J.C. (10/01/01)
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